The rumors that have surfaced recently about Ken Griffey Jr. coming to the Braves organization to fill the left field void have incresed my enthusiasm about the upcoming season. Let us examine first the path that led the Braves to this position and then we may try to figure out whether or not this is a good thing for the 2009 season.
If anyone remembers the Rapheal Furcal debacle, they may also remember that the former Brave was expected to play second upon re-joining the club, moving Kelly Johnson to left...this would have voided the need for Griffey. Dunn and Abreau signed contracts with the Angels and Nats, respectively and Ramirez is way out of the price range. The trade with NY fell through because the Yankees were seemingly unwilling to take on some of Swisher's salary. Then there is Ken Griffey, Jr. He has been barely a blip on the radar of any major league team this winter. Out of the blue, the Braves surface as one of the clubs that would enlist his services in left field.
So what does this mean for '09 (should he sign with us)?
Let me offer a disclaimer: I grew up with Jr. He was the best all around player in baseball in the 90's, in my opinion. He is the one player that could have reached 800 home runs had he stayed helathy 800. That is a bold statement, I realize, but he has 611 HR's at the age of 39 and was absent for a while (the Reds years). So you may see how my next revelation will be quite skewed.
Assuming Griffey does sign with the Braves for '09, the immediate impact will be ticket sales. Griffey is a Hall of Famer without question and a member of a very exclusive club - 600 HRs. People will still pay to see him for the opportunity to catch #612 (or any other #). I am 2 1/2 hours away from "The Ted" and am considering several games this summer, just for the chance to see a great. I realize that we have Glavine and Chipper and that they are too HOFers, but we have seen them time and time again. Griffey is fresh, exciting, and a new kind of legend for the Braves: A home run king.
How does this translate into W's for the fan? Quite frankly, it doesen't. Griffey may not be capable of improving our ballclub the way a Ramirez or Rodriguez would anymore. Almost everyone has written him off as done, washed up, card carying AARP member. I still believe, however. I believe that a surgically repaired knee can rejuvinate the Kid for one more magical season. Not a 50 HR season, but a .280 avg., 100 RBIs and 30 HRs magical. He will have the opportunity for at least one of those stats with Anderson (projected), Escobar and Jones in front of him, and the right handers in the NL East are not as good as the Lefties.
This is all likely a pipedream, however. I love Griffey, because he has yet to let me down ('roids) and he could have been the greatest of all time (injuries). His swing is majestic and his character is fun. He would do well for Atlanta and for baseball if he signs for the Braves. So get it together, Griffey and Frank Wren, don't screw this up.
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I almost completely agree with you. The biggest impact will be ticket sales. I hate baseball, but I love Ken Griffey Jr. because I grew up with him. He was the cool guy whose appeal went beyond baseball fans. His shoes are the only baseball shoes that people dreamt of having in the 90s. When his black and white Max 1s came out in 96 everyone went nuts for them, including girls I grew up with like Rhonda Johnson and Kellie O'neal (they're being re-released this summer btw). No one ever talks about wearing the newest Jeters or Sizemores. Griffey is cooler than baseball and that will definately increase ticket sales.
However, I do not think he will help the team in any way important to the game of baseball. He IS washed up in my humble opinion and will most likely be limited to 100 games this year and probably skip back-to-backs like your boy Bonds. He doesn't actually suck as fielder yet but he's no better than some up-and-comer they could have brought up from the minors. I also fear his bat will go the way of Andruw Jones's. The Dodgers immediately regretted that signing. The Braves ultimately won't regret the signing that way but only because Griffey is too cool to hate.
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